Bamburgh Lighthouse

Whenever I visit Bamburgh I always get transfixed with the castle and the beach that I have never made it as far as the lighthouse. Just a ten minute walk from the castle is this charming little lighthouse (also known as Black Rocks Point Lighthouse). What you currently see is not how it was back in the day.

The building was built in 1910 by Trinity House and the actual lamp was built on a 9m high skeletal steel tower. It's main use was to guide ships around the Northumberland coastline and the Farne Islands. The tower is no longer there, but you can see the footprint of where it would have stood. The building actually housed an acetylene plant to power the lamp.

In the picture above you can see the round base where the lighthouse would have stood.

And our in-house Fabulous North artist Andrew (he went to art college you know!) created this amazing sketch to show what the lighthouse would have looked like.

In 1975, it was modernised, the steel tower and lamp removed and a new lantern placed on top of the building. Diesel generators were then used to power the lamp until 1980 when the building was connected to the mains. The generators still remain as a backup.

My favourite thing about the lighthouse though, is from every angle it always looks like it's startled!!

Also did you know - It's the most northerly land-based lighthouse in England.

A Fabulous North friend Mike Ridley allowed also sent us a couple of sensational photos.

Not a bad view from the lighthouse.